Universal joint



W. A. WHITNEY. UNIVERSAL Jolwp APPLICATION FILED OCT- 9, 1919.

Patented 00E 25, W21.

2 SHEETS$HEET I.

W. A. WHITNEY. UNIVERSAL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, 1919.

1 394 71 Patented @013. 25 192110 EET 2.

2 SHEETSSH umren STATES; PATENT oFFlca WILLIAM A. WHITNEY,

or ROCKFORD, rumors, assmlvonro TOWNER K. WEBSTER, 0F EVANSTGNQILLINOIS.

UNIVERSAL Jontm;

To all whom may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Universal for connecting driving and driven shafts and has for its general object the provision of an efficient universal joint which can be manufactured economically.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a universal joint in which the driving and driven elements are interconnected by means of anti friction balls and in which lost motion between the driving and driven elements is reduced to a minimum. Another object is the provision of an efiicient universal-joint in which the driving stress is equally distributed to the driven element at several points, and in which the driving stress may be applied to the driven element at any desired number of points spaced around the axis of the driven elementp The provision of a universal joint accomplishing these objects has heretofore been attempted, and at best the result was either a joint which jammed, which had too .much

lost motion for efiiciency, or which was prohibitive due to is excessive manufacturing cost.

The universal joint of my invention accomplishes the objects stated, and is such that it can be manufactured economically,

*These and other objects will be pointedout in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is an elevational view. of the universal joint of my invenion;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direct-ion indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the driving and driven shafts out of alinement; V

Fig. 5 is an end v ew of the socket member Specification of Letters Patent. P t t 5 9 Application filed October 9, 1919. Serial No.329,434.

forming part of the driven element, this View being on a reduced scale; and

F1g..6 1s a side elevational view of the ball retainer ring, this view being on a reruced scale.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar partsthroughout the several views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 7 and 8 designate two shafts, either of 'which, so far as the universal jolnt of my'invention is concerned. may be considered as the driving shaft, but for the sake of this description I shall refer to the shaft 7 as the driving elementand the shaft 8 as the driven element.

The inner end, of the driving shaft 7 is tapered as shown at 9 and has its tapered portion provided with a keyway for the receptio 1 1 of the key shown at 10. Secured to the drlving shaft 7 by meansof the key 10 is a spherical head or ball member 11 provided I with a centrally located annular flange 12. This flange contains any desired number of transverse grooves 13, 13, arranged for the reception of anti-friction balls shown at 14,'

14. Although any desired number of grooves 13 and anti-friction balls 14 may be employed, I have found that six anti-friction balls roduce a very eflicient universal oint, and ave accordingly shown the joint as provided with six cotiperating grooves and balls 13 and 14. The walls of the several grooves 13, 13 converge inwardly as'most clearly shown in Fig. 3 and are of'a depth such that the balls do not rest upon the bottoms of the grooves.

Disposed'around the ball member 11 and attached to the driven shaft 8 by means of a key 15 is a socket member 16 containing a plurality of slots'17, 17,- each of which is disposed opposite one of the grooves 13vprovided in the ball member. v

The walls of the slots17, l7 converge outwardly as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, and coiiperate with the grooves 13 of the ball member and the balls 14 for providing a driving connection between the ball and socket members.

Extending around the flange 12 carried by the ball member 11'is a spherical ball retainer rin 18 provided with six apertures 19, 1-9, in w ich the several balls 14, 14, are

disposed. The size of the opening 19 is such that the'balls 14 have substantially no transto the socket 16 by any suitable mechanism,

as, for example, by a cotter pin, as shown at 23. This cotter pin extends through regis-' tering grooves2 1 and formed respectively in the cap 21 and socket 16. A

Mounted on the driving shaft 7 is .a ring '26 held in place by a locking ring 27 fitting wall 31 of the slot 17,

in a groove 28 provided in the driving shaft. Intel-posed between the ring 26 and the cap 21 is a collar 29 normally held a ainst the cap 21 by a spring 30 interposed between the vcollar 29 and ring 26. The collar 29 serves the function of sealing the opening 22 and prevents dirt and dust from entering the socket formed by the members 16 and 21.

Attention is directed to the fact that the Walls of thegrooves 13, 13, as well 'as the bottoms thereof, lie in planes which are parallel to the axis of the driving shaft 7, as distinguished from the curved walls disclosed in' my early application, which resulted in Patent No. 1,022,909, dated April 9, 1912. Similarly the walls of the slots 17, 17 provided in the socket member are perfectly straight walls, and lie in planes which are arallel to the axis of the driveni shaft 8. his straight wall groove arrangement results in a universal joint which can be manufactured very economically. It will be observed that the flange 12 extends beyond the base of the ball member 11 and thereby readilypermits the milling of the several grooves 13. Similarly the several slots 17 formed in the socket member 16 can be milled very easily by passing the milling cutter transversely across the socket member. To facilitate the provision of these slots, the as shown in Fi 5, and the wall 32 of the slot 17 may be milled in one operation. The formation of the correspondingwalls of the other slots in the socket member may be accomplished in the same manner.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the two shafts 7 and 8 out of alinement and the position that the anti-friction balls 14, 14 and the-ball retainer ring 18 assume when the shafts 7 and 8 are moved'to the position shown. When the shafts 7 and 8 are thus moved out of alinement the center line which I have shown at 33 and which passes through the centers of the several balls 14, li'does not liein a plane at right angles to the axis of the driving shaft 7. The upper end of the center line here shown is inclined slightly to the right of a plane passing through the center in this figure are moved slightly" outwardly and thereby maintain the required snug engagement between the walls of the rooves 13 and the wallsof the cooperatings ots l7. By'reason of the factthat the ball-retainer ring 18 prevents relativelongitudinal and transverse movement of the balls 14, a good six point driving connection is maintained between the ball andsocket members at all times.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A universal joint comprising co6perating ball and socket members provided with registering grooves, the walls of which form planes, and balls in said grooves forming a driving connection between the ball and socket members, one-wall ofeach groove in the socket member being disposed in the same plane with a wall of'another groove in the'socket member.

2. A universal joint comprising cooperatsame plane'with a wall of another groove in' the socket member.

3. A universal joint comprising cooperating ball and socket members provided with registering grooves in which the walls form planes, the walls of the grooves in the ball me'mberfconverging inwardly and the walls of the grooves in the's'ocket member converging outwardly and balls in said grooves forming a driving connection between the ball and socket members, one wall of each groove in the socket member being disposed in the same plane with a wall of anoth r groove in the socket member.

4:. A universal joint comprising cooperating ball and socket members provided with registering grooves, the axis of each groove forming a straight line and balls in said grooves forming driving connection be tween the ball and socket members, one wall of each groove in the socket member being disposed in the same plane with a wall of another groove in the socket member.

5. A universal oint comprising .006 erating ball and socket members provide with registering grooves, the walls of which form planes, balls in said grooves forming a driv,

ing connection between the ball and socket ing ball and socket members provided with registering .grooves, the grooves in each member lying in planes parallel to the axis being provided with grooves extending transversely therethrough, a socket member provided witli -groove's registering with the grooves in the ball'member, and a plurality of balls in the grooves, forming a driving connection between the "ball and socket members, the opposed walls of each groove in the grooves forming planes and conver 'ng in- 4 socket member being in line with the walls of different grooves in opposite portions of the socket member.

8. A universal joint comprising a ball member, an annular flange projecting outwardly from the ball member, said flange being provided "with grooves extending transversely therethrough, a socket member provided with slots extending transversely therethrough, and registering with the grooves in the ball member, balls in the grooves and slots'forming a driving connection between the ball and socket members,

and a cap for the socket member extending over said slots, the opposed walls of each groove in the socket member being in line with the walls of difierent grooves in opposite portions of the socket member.

9. A universal joint comprising a ball member, an annular flange projecting out Wardly from the ball member, said flange being provided 'with grooves extending transversely therethrough, the Walls of the wardly, a socket member provided with slots registering with said grooves, the walls of said slots forming planes converging outwardly, balls in said grooves and slots formand socket members and acap for the socket member extending over said slots.

10. A universal joint comprising a ball member, anannular flange projecting outwardly from the ball member, said flange being provided with grooves extending transversely there throiigh, the walls of the grooves formingplanes and converging inwardly, asodket member provided with slots registering with'Tsaid grooves, the Walls of said slots forming planes converging outwardly balls in said grooves and 'slots forming a riving connection between the ball and socket members and a ball retainer ring interposedvbetween the ball and socket mem bers.

mg a, driving connection between the ball I I 11. A universal joint comprising driving anddriven shafts, a ball member mounted on one of said shafts, a cooperating socket member'mounted on the otherof said shafts, registering grooves in the ball and socket members,"balls in the grooves forming a driving connection between the ball and socket members, a collar mounted on the- 'ball member shaft, and spring means interposed between the collar and shaft, tending 'to hold the collar against the said socket member, the opposed walls of each groove in the socket member being in line with the walls 'of different grooves in opposite portions of the Socket member.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 23rd day of September, 1919.

, WILLIAM A. WHITNEY.

Witnesses: i

ROBERT F. BRAGKE, MARIE F. 

